A good decorating job should go beyond aesthetics, and taking a comfort-first approach means accounting for all five senses. I often use music to unwind, so when I redid my apartment, the idea of fully wired surround sound had me obviously intrigued. When I was quoted a price of nearly $30,000, I balked. I enjoy blasting music in the shower as much the next guy, but even I have limits!

So I took a step back and asked myself what I truly wanted from a stereo system. Whatever I chose had to maintain consistency from room to room. It had to be scalable for sit-down dinners or larger parties, and it had to look sharp -- no “retro-chic” boom box in the corner for me, thanks. Then, of course, there was the shower thing. Remember those limits? I have them on both sides.

As usual, Martha had a solution: the Sonos wireless system, which she uses at her Bedford home. “Sonos is an expandable speaker that works through your home’s Wi-Fi network, so it doesn’t require elaborate wiring,” explains Mike Fiore, Martha’s property director, who landed on Sonos after doing some serious market research. “That one system works with your TV, woofer, and any other bits and pieces you could want in a sound system. It’s easy to use too -- it connects to your iTunes library, so you can control it by phone, iPad, or Android.”

Just as important to me is the fact that it’s unobtrusive (if not invisible ... one day!) and versatile enough to suit all my entertaining needs. And while I wouldn’t call it cheap, it sure doesn’t cost $30,000.

So that’s where I’m leaning -- but if you’ve had a great experience with another system, I’d love to know about it. Just as long as it works in my shower.

Kevin Sharkey is Senior Vice President and Executive Editorial Director, Decorating, and Executive Creative Director, Merchandising for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (MSLO). A designer and all-around creative expert, he plays a vital role in shaping MSLO’s editorial content and product designs. Mr. Sharkey came to MSLO in 1995 from Parish-Hadley, a venerable New York City...